An artist, a delivery truck covered in neon traffic cones, and one important message for Milwaukeeans – be the person you want to share the road with.

Artist Sarah Davitt’s pickup truck covered in sculptural traffic cones was designed to draw attention to the dangers of careless driving around Milwaukee. The truck was unveiled at an event Wednesday at Red Arrow Park.

Over the next two weeks, the moving art truck will be in six locations. It moves rather than standing still, to emphasize that the problem of reckless driving in cities is not limited to one part of the city. It is everywhere.

“The idea is to show a moving solution to a moving problem and make sure it’s visible in different places, not just at one point of impact,” Davitt said.

The incident comes four months after Mayor Cavalier Johnson spoke out publicly following a careless driving incident that killed 4-year-old Zekani Hymes-Wilson and injured her mother. The driver, 30-year-old Donald Crayton, was charged with six felonies, according to online court documents.

“This is nonsense, nonsense, this should never have happened,” Johnson said after the child’s death.

Other recent cases include the death of 32-year-old Marcus Robinson, who was killed Sunday in a crash caused by a careless driver on Water Street; an 18-year-old who struck and killed a 33-year-old on Capitol Drive in June; and a Milwaukee County judge in July describing a six-vehicle crash in which a school bus overturned and injured four people, including a 3-year-old and her mother, as “one of the worst” careless driving cases he has seen in more than 20 years of adjudication.

Those deaths and injuries account for 50 crash-related fatalities in Milwaukee this year, compared to 75 crash-related deaths last year, according to the Milwaukee Police Department’s Traffic Safety Unit. There have been 2,013 nonfatal crash-related injuries this year, with 3,942 of those occurring last year, according to the city of Milwaukee’s Traffic Violence Dashboard.

The project began when the Milwaukee Arts Board launched a pilot Public Artist in Residence program in partnership with the Department of Urban Development.

The program involves the artist working on pressing social issues. Davitt, a community artist for 20 years, was chosen as the first artist to participate in the program.

Davitt said that after talking to community members, one thing became clear: reckless driving is a problem in Milwaukee and residents have reason to be concerned.

In 2024, Davitt completed The Moving City, a Ford Ranger pickup truck covered in carved traffic cones to reach out to the community. Davitt also used art to interact with the community by having custom reflective patches printed with safety messages.

“It means we are moving, that everything has a heartbeat and that we are all part of this agreement of our roads and streets,” Davitt said in a news release.

Davitt said the hand-carved cones show 50 places in Milwaukee where Davitt has been involved in the community, even talking to residents about their safety concerns. The cones feature art with statements like “seatbelts keep you in.”

“People who use the roads as drivers have been left out of this conversation,” Davitt said. “I hope this starts a conversation with curiosity.”

Johnson thanked Davitt for her commitment to the city and surprised her with a mayoral proclamation.

“You’re not the only person who lives here,” Johnson said. “They shouldn’t be afraid to drive down the street because someone makes a stupid decision to drive recklessly down the street in this community.”

If you want to see an art exhibition:

• Wednesday, August 14: Heart(beats) of the City at Red Arrow Park, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m., Milwaukee Night Market at Vel R. Phillips Plaza

• Thursday, August 15:From 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. during Skate Night at MMSD West Basin, 4350 N. 35th St.

• Saturday, August 17th:From 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM at Center Street Daze between Holton and Humboldt

• Wednesday, August 21:From 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. for Summer of Soul at the Marcus Performing Arts Center

• Saturday, August 24:From 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Run Back to School at the MPS Central Services Building, 5225 W. Vliet St.

• Wednesday, August 28: : 5:00-10:00 PM at Washington Park, Wednesday Concert Series

For more information about exhibitions and upcoming events, visit the City of Milwaukee’s events calendar.

This article originally appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee artist designs truck to solve reckless driving problem